Purple Color Code: #800080, RGB, HSL & CMYK

Purple color values

HEX #800080

RGB rgb(128, 0, 128)

HSL hsl(300, 100%, 25%)

HSV 300, 100%, 50%

HWB hwb(300 0% 50%)

CMYK 0%, 100%, 0%, 50%

Decimal 8388736

CSS keyword purple

25%HSL lightness (dark)

100%HSL saturation (vivid)

300°Hue angle (magenta)

0.061Relative luminance

CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.

What is Purple?

Purple is one of the named colors defined by the CSS Color specifications (keyword “purple”), so every modern browser understands it without a hex code.

Its hue angle of 300° places it in the magenta part of the color wheel, with 100% saturation (vivid) and 25% lightness (dark). It sits between warm and cool.

Compared with the other purple colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 18% of them and more saturated than 82% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.061, which makes it a dark color. That is below the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so white text has the advantage.

Purple counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 25% and its relative luminance is 0.061. White text reads comfortably on it (9.41:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Purple

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Purple
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	9.41:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Black text	Sample text	2.22:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail

Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.

Colors that go with Purple

Complementary color

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.

Green#008000

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.

≈ Indigo#400080 ≈ Wine#800040

Triadic colors

A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.

Olive#808000 Teal#008080

Split-complementary colors

Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.

≈ Dark Grass Green#408000 ≈ Jungle Green#008040

Tetradic colors

A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.

Maroon#800000 Green#008000 Teal#008080

Monochromatic variants

Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.

#1F001F#1F001F

#660066#660066

#AD00AD#AD00AD

#F500F5#F500F5

#FF3DFF#FF3DFF

A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.

Tints and shades of Purple

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.

Dark Magenta#8B008B Warm Purple#952E8F Royal Purple#4B006E Rebecca Purple#663399 Rich Purple#720058 Indigo#4B0082 Red Violet#9E0168 Plum Purple#4E0550

Where to use Purple

Button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (9.41:1 contrast)
Accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations
Illustrations and hero sections
Tags, badges and highlights
Creative and entertainment branding
Premium-feeling accents and gradients

Use Purple in CSS

:root {
  --color-purple: #800080;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-purple);
  background-color: #800080;
  border: 2px solid #800080;
}

Questions about Purple

What is the HEX code for Purple?

Purple is #800080.

What is the RGB value of Purple?

The RGB value of Purple is 128, 0, 128: 128 red, 0 green and 128 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(128, 0, 128) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Purple?

The HSL value of Purple is 300°, 100%, 25% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(300, 100%, 25%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Purple?

A standard conversion gives about C 0%, M 100%, Y 0%, K 50%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Purple a light or dark color?

Purple counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 25% and its relative luminance is 0.061. White text reads comfortably on it (9.41:1 contrast).

How does Purple look with white text?

White text on Purple has a contrast ratio of 9.41:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

How does Purple look with black text?

Black text on Purple has a contrast ratio of 2.22:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

What colors go well with Purple?

Green is its complementary color, and Indigo sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.

Where can Purple be used?

It suits button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (9.41:1 contrast); accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations; illustrations and hero sections.

How do I use Purple in CSS?

Use color: #800080; for text, background-color: #800080; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-purple: #800080; and reuse it with var(--color-purple).

About this color page

CSS named color (W3C CSS Color Module). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.

Purple Color Code: #800080